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Cooper 'wary' of supplements

Laine Clark

Quade Cooper has revealed he has knocked back several private sponsorship offers from supplement companies because he had been "wary" of their contents.

After probes into the possible misuse of supplements were launched at AFL club Essendon and NRL outfit Manly, Wallabies five-eighth Cooper claimed athletes who used them did so at their own risk.

"You can never be 100 per cent sure (of supplements' contents)," Cooper said in Brisbane on Thursday.

"If you put anything like that in your mouth, it is at your own risk."

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The Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) is joining with the AFL integrity unit to look into supplements that were given to Essendon players last year as part of their fitness regime under sport scientist Stephen Dank.

Dank also worked for NRL club Manly from 2006-'10, prompting the league to launch an independent audit of the Sea Eagles' sport science department on Thursday.

Cooper was not aware of Super Rugby players taking supplements but confirmed he had knocked back several sponsorship offers from companies offering them in the past.

"You've got to be wary because it is your career, your life," he said.

"You are going to get paid by these supplement companies but it is risk versus reward.

"For me, it is not worth taking something that could jeopardise my whole career."

Cooper admitted the AFL-NRL anti-doping probes were not a good look but hoped the public did not think every sportsperson was "tainted".

"It's hard not to (think that) if you are the public. But they are going to have their opinion no matter what we do," he said.

"If something is written in the paper, the public perception is usually taken from that.

"But there are a lot of (rugby) players who are clean. I am not too sure if there any out there who are not."